Heat Wave by Richard Castle

Hey FL .. This is specially for you !
Finally the review of the book I earned in the first "Member of the month" here :D *proud grin*

Synopsis :
A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light. 

Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly best-selling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. PulitzerPrize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat




Richard Castle is actually a fictional character of show "Castle" whose name is been used as the writer of Nikki heat Series, as a part of the show.


Excerpt :

A trace of muffled laughter turned Nikki Heat’s attention to the balcony where Detectives Raley and
Ochoa, a duo affectionately condensed to “Roach,” were working. Kimberly Starr rocked her son in
a long hug and didn’t seem to hear it. Heat excused herself and crossed the room, gliding in and out
of ponds of light beaming down from the upper windows, casting an aura on her. She sidestepped
the forensics tech dusting the French doors and went out onto the balcony, flipping her notebook to
a blank page.
“Pretend we’re going over notes.” Raley and Ochoa exchanged confused looks then drew closer to
her. “I could hear you two laughing in there.”
“Oh, jeez…,” said Ochoa. He winced and the sweat bead clinging to the tip of his nose fell onto her
page.
“Listen to me. I know to you this is just another crime scene, right? But for that family in there, it’s
the only one they’ve ever experienced. Are you hearing me? Good.” She half turned to the door and
turned back. “Oh. And when we get out of here? I want to hear that joke. I could use it.”



Nimue Says :
When I first picked this book and read the plot, I had an idea that Nikki Heat's character is based on Beckett as shown in the show. and it totally is true. You can see so many parallels to the show characters. The book actually reads like a narration of some episode of the show.  Comparisons apart , as a stand alone book ( assuming you know nothing of the show) , the book is fast paced, witty , a good beginning , some nice characters and a light feel to it. The murder isn't too violent , the reasons neither revenge nor random, the criminals though appear a little animated.


Loved Raley and Ochoa - the detectives that together with Nikki and Rook make the team of this book. they are adorable , fun and so much dependable characters.  Rook, the writer is an intelligent , observant and a charming guy. Though I felt that his character was not developed completely. If the writer meant to show him as a nice guy irrespective of being irritating to Nikki, he depended a lot on the show's character.


And Nikki... Smart , dedicated , fearless , intelligent and totally professional, She is one of the few lady characters without a weakness yet with a past to make her sensitive to the crimes and the families affected.




Overall, a good read.


Rating : 3/5 ( people who watched the show might give +.5 to the book)


Other details :

ISBN: 0786891416
ISBN-13: 9780786891412, 978-0786891412
Publishing Date: Aug 2011
Number of Pages: 355
Price :  386/- @ flipkart

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